This invention relates generally to modular panels used in the construction of buildings and other static structures and more specifically to insulating panels over which plaster or other surfacing materials may be applied.
Modular building panels incorporating an insulating medium are known in the art and have been described for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,305,991 and 3,879,908, both to Weismann. U.S. Pat. No. 3,305,991 discloses a method of fabricating a lightweight modular structural panel by assembling elongated rods to form a rectangular lattice, placing the lattice in a tank where an amount of liquid foamed plastic insulation is introduced which is sufficient to cover the desired portion of the lattice. The plastic insulation hardens to form a unitary block which encloses and is held in place by portions of the rods of the lattice.
For many applications, the forming of the insulating block in a tank or vat is time-consuming and inconvenient. Moreover, tank molding eliminates the possibility of incorporating inside the skin of the block any item or structure which cannot be placed within the molding vat. Hence, there has existed a need for a modular building panel which can be completed in situ without the necessity of tank molding. Such a panel would, ideally, permit the blowing of liquid insulating material into a prepositioned structure. The panel should also include inexpensive and easily formed means for retaining the liquid as it is blown into the panels. Finally, the panel should have means for holding in place plaster or other wall covering that may be applied over the sides of the hardened insulation. The present invention fills these described needs.